The (alleged) fractures in the Celtics locker room

[guava_wrench]

Signing Sheed was definitely a calculated risk. His constant techs would make you think that he is too stubborn to coach, but Perk has the same problems yet seems far less stubborn.

This seems to be a case of Sheed earning his bad reputation,

[Cman]

I guess the one thing that I was a bit surprised to read is that KG and Rasheed aren't part of the same locker room crowd.  Weren't these two close friends?  Could it suggest, perhaps, that KG isn't completely enamored with Rasheed now that the two share a locker room?

Or it could suggest that the story is pure speculation and utterly unfounded...

[Fafnir]

I guess the one thing that I was a bit surprised to read is that KG and Rasheed aren't part of the same locker room crowd.  Weren't these two close friends?  Could it suggest, perhaps, that KG isn't completely enamored with Rasheed now that the two share a locker room?

Or it could suggest that the story is pure speculation and utterly unfounded...

Haven't we all had a good friend we started working with or living with, and then you ended up hating him?

[Cman]

It's easy to point out underachievers on this team, but that is only half the story.

If Sheed is such a bad apple, who infects people with laziness, how do we explain the fact that Tony Allen has gotten better this year?

Or that Rondo, who just signed a huge contract and therefore has every incentive to play worse than he did last year, and in addition is playing on a team with such a bad apple, is in fact playing better?

I'm sick of the "Sheed is a bad apple" stories.  I think they're rotten* and make for unoriginal reporting.

*yes, that was a pun 

[Q_FBE]

More evidence this pig needs to be blown up from the coach on down. We had our fun in 2008.

[reggie35]

I don't know about Nate, but Sheed and Daniels have been spotted out on the town together, including a strip club in Rhode Island.

Do you mind saying where you heard of that?

This was a couple of months ago from a friend in the "restaurant" industry.

[Thruthelookingglass]

If Sheed is such a bad apple, who infects people with laziness, how do we explain the fact that Tony Allen has gotten better this year?

Or that Rondo, who just signed a huge contract and therefore has every incentive to play worse than he did last year, and in addition is playing on a team with such a bad apple, is in fact playing better?

Tony Allen has been an afterthought, often because of injury and sometimes for his undisciplined play.  Hats off to Tony Allen for being his own man and taking advantage of the opportunity to play. 

Rondo isn't just playing better.  I see the team playing differently, waiting for Rajon to make the play or distribute the ball.  I haven't looked at assist numbers, but my guess would be that the assist numbers from the last 2 years are much more evenly distributed than the gobs of assists Rajon piled up this year.  This is Rondo's team and in reality he's the star, not any of the Big Three. 

[The Walker Wiggle]

Has any GM outside Isiah Thomas, shown less regard for attitude, motivation, locker room histrionics, off court troubles, what have you, than Ainge? He certainly doesn't spook easily.

Signing Wallace, and Daniels, and acquiring Robinson this season, in the midst of various rumors involving Rondo and lingering questions about Glen Davis's maturity. But let's not forget drafting and re-signing T.A., acquiring Ricky Davis, Szczerbiak, Sebastian Telfair, signing Marbury, pursuing Allen Iverson, pursuing Tyreke Evans.

Where's Jon Niednagel in all this?

[celticinorlando]

this team has had zero chemistry all season. it is like they dont like each other at all. i believe it is very fractured

[jdpapa3]

Every team I have ever been on, whether it was a bad or good team, had some fractures in the locker room and cliques that didn't necessarily talk to each other in depth outside of the locker room.

Just heard Bulpett on a podcast and he said that the 08 championship team had petty arguments constantly and that every team he has ever covered has had the same issues. I think it's interesting that he has covered the team for a heck of a long time and doesn't think this particular team is out of the ordinary.

As for Niednagel, Rasheed is allegedly the ESFJ braintype and very sensitive to criticism and plays their best when everyone believes in them...oops

[The Walker Wiggle]

As for Niednagel, Rasheed is allegedly the ESFJ braintype and very sensitive to criticism and plays their best when everyone believes in them...oops

I love it.

[snively]

There's cliques in every locker room.  I think this is getting blown out of proportion.

Sure, I'm guessing there's been tension at times and clashing of egos.  Is it killing this team out on the floor?  I don't know and if it is, I'm not sure to what extent.

There definitely has been a different vibe around the team this year, though, right?  

I personally have a hard time believing that a team that won 62 games last year with KG missing a large chunk of the season is now barely winning 50 games for no other reason that it suddenly got old.  There's definitely been a different attitude this year, and it wouldn't shock me if some of that is due to a divided locker room.

I think the vibe is more of an effect of barely winning 50 games than a cause.  

Last season, Rajon, Ray, Pierce and Perk stayed healthy and played great all year and KG was great for the 50 some games prior to his injury.  We got a career year from Eddie, a good year from Scal and excellent bench play from Leon Powe.  Baby even turned it on by the playoffs

This season Ray's offensive prowess tanked, Pierce battled with debilitating injuries for about 20 games, KG struggled with injuries/decline from early on in the season, Perk fizzled in the 2nd half, Eddie crashed, Scal regressed, Leon Powe left, Baby lost his playoff form and our two prized recruits, Sheed and Daniels failed to make any positive impact.

Some of that was a result of age (Sheed's defensive mobility, Eddie's D, KG?), more of it was the result of injury (Pierce, KG, Powe, Perk), some regression to the mean (House, Scal, Baby).  The more mystifying story lines (Ray's half-season slump, Sheed's long-range shooting and Daniels' devolution into a passive non-factor) only account for a small part of the decline and I don't think they can explained by the new team vibe.

I think this team could have comfortably won 62 games if Sheed was able to approximate his prior season's rebound rate and 3-pt accuracy, Pierce and KG stayed healthy and played as many minutes as their prior season and Ray maintained his normal 3-pt shooting.  

[Cman]

This whole story about the "fractured locker room" reminds me a lot of the story last year about a divide between older and younger players. I don't remember much about it, except that BBD was one of the "leaders" of the young guys. 

According to the recent story, BBD is now in the category of players that "bounces from group to group".  So in less than a season he goes from a dominant personality to a wallflower? 

It doesn't make sense.  None of it makes sense.  I think it is a lot of creative journalism (both last summer and now).

[Mr October]

There's cliques in every locker room.  I think this is getting blown out of proportion.

Sure, I'm guessing there's been tension at times and clashing of egos.  Is it killing this team out on the floor?  I don't know and if it is, I'm not sure to what extent.

There definitely has been a different vibe around the team this year, though, right? 

I personally have a hard time believing that a team that won 62 games last year with KG missing a large chunk of the season is now barely winning 50 games for no other reason that it suddenly got old.  There's definitely been a different attitude this year, and it wouldn't shock me if some of that is due to a divided locker room.

Sure, I've definitely gotten a sense of malaise with the team this year and its certainly a different feel to '08 and even last year. 

However, I just don't know to what extent its affected the team on the floor. 

I'd really like to know how much pain some of these guys have been playing with this year.  I know we won't know until after the season but, and I've mentioned this before, I wouldn't be shocked at all to hear that some of these guys were much more hurt then we were led to believe.

If I were forced to bet today, I would guess "the injuries were worse than we thought" excuse is more the problem than a divided locker room.

I also remember Pierce going into team-carrier mode last year and then being gassed in the playoffs. This year Pierce has had more injuries, and has spent more time shooting jumpers over banging his way to the rim.

Glen Davis and Powe played out of their minds when KG went down too. The urgency was there.

Lets see who shows up on Saturday.

[Edgar]

Every team I have ever been on, whether it was a bad or good team, had some fractures in the locker room and cliques that didn't necessarily talk to each other in depth outside of the locker room.